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Charlie Wilson's War
Directed by Mike Nichols
Written by Aaron Sorkin
Starring Tom Hanks, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Julia Roberts, Amy Adams
I wasn't alive during the Cold War and I never learned about the Cold War in school so watching this story about a horny, booze-loving Texas congressman (Hanks) saving the world was especially interesting to watch unravel. I could've done without the whole "starting at the end" bit which I didn't see as being either necessary nor beneficial to the rest of the film. Whatever. In my opinion, the story took a backseat to the three very likable and larger-than-life main characters. Hanks and Julia Roberts both kind of seem on cruise control, but they both work pretty well on cruise control so it's okay. Phillip Seymour Hoffman on the other hand, turns in one of his best performances as a sarcastic CIA operative that specializes in mouthing off to figures of authority. His hilarious, window shattering, curse laden introduction scene alone is worth the price of admission.
To be honest I didn't think this movie was going to be very good. The trailer was a mess, Phillip Seymour Hoffman looked like an idiot on the one-sheet, and Tom Hanks hasn't been on his A-game for a decade. What got me off my bum to watch Charlie Wilson's War wasn't the Golden Globe buzz or that shot of a bikini clad Julia Roberts climbing out of the pool. It was the guy in the director's chair, Mike Nichols, who's filmography I've been trying to see all of. Going by the few films of his I have seen, very few people can blend comedy and drama like he does. What he gets when he combines the two genres is something more than a dramedy. It deserves a different name. There's a bittersweet taste to almost every scene in this movie and I caught myself laughing while simultaneously feeling a tug at my heartstrings more than a few times.
I was a disappointed to find that the whole movie was over and done with in a little over an hour and a half. I personally, would've liked to see a little bit more character development. Like I said earlier, the story takes a backseat to the three leads and I wanted to see more of them. Well, I wanted to see more of Hanks and Hoffman, which is not to say Roberts did a bad job. Her character just wasn't as interesting a standalone figure as the other two. I liked this movie a lot, but there was just that indescribable "something" missing that separates the good movies from the great ones.
Charlie Wilson's War
Directed by Mike Nichols
Written by Aaron Sorkin
Starring Tom Hanks, Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Julia Roberts, Amy Adams
I wasn't alive during the Cold War and I never learned about the Cold War in school so watching this story about a horny, booze-loving Texas congressman (Hanks) saving the world was especially interesting to watch unravel. I could've done without the whole "starting at the end" bit which I didn't see as being either necessary nor beneficial to the rest of the film. Whatever. In my opinion, the story took a backseat to the three very likable and larger-than-life main characters. Hanks and Julia Roberts both kind of seem on cruise control, but they both work pretty well on cruise control so it's okay. Phillip Seymour Hoffman on the other hand, turns in one of his best performances as a sarcastic CIA operative that specializes in mouthing off to figures of authority. His hilarious, window shattering, curse laden introduction scene alone is worth the price of admission.
To be honest I didn't think this movie was going to be very good. The trailer was a mess, Phillip Seymour Hoffman looked like an idiot on the one-sheet, and Tom Hanks hasn't been on his A-game for a decade. What got me off my bum to watch Charlie Wilson's War wasn't the Golden Globe buzz or that shot of a bikini clad Julia Roberts climbing out of the pool. It was the guy in the director's chair, Mike Nichols, who's filmography I've been trying to see all of. Going by the few films of his I have seen, very few people can blend comedy and drama like he does. What he gets when he combines the two genres is something more than a dramedy. It deserves a different name. There's a bittersweet taste to almost every scene in this movie and I caught myself laughing while simultaneously feeling a tug at my heartstrings more than a few times.
I was a disappointed to find that the whole movie was over and done with in a little over an hour and a half. I personally, would've liked to see a little bit more character development. Like I said earlier, the story takes a backseat to the three leads and I wanted to see more of them. Well, I wanted to see more of Hanks and Hoffman, which is not to say Roberts did a bad job. Her character just wasn't as interesting a standalone figure as the other two. I liked this movie a lot, but there was just that indescribable "something" missing that separates the good movies from the great ones.